After I posted the reason all cricket clubs need a coach yesterday I had a moment of realisation. I had totally missed another important factor a good coach can bring:

Testing

Well-rounded coaches will have knowledge in the technical, tactical, physiological and psychological aspects of cricket, and to improve on them you need to know where you are to start with.

A coach can bring a battery of simple tests that can be done before the season begins, at the end of the season and any other time. Tests like:

• Vertical Jump for lower leg power testing
• Pro-agility for agility and quickness testing
• 10 yard dash for acceleration testing
• 40 yard dash for speed testing
• 300 yard shuttle runs (12x25 yard shuttles) for conditioning testing
• Height, weight and waist circumference.

None of which require much equipment but do need someone to organise the tests and record the results.